The farmer carry (also called a loaded carry, farmer walk or suitcase carry) is one of the simplest yet least understood exercises in the gym. It’s something we do in real life all the time. We shlep grocery bags, suitcases, laptops and all sorts of crap all over the place. But how often do we think about our shoulders, scapulae or thoracic spines when we do? Bueller? Bueller? Thought so.
Read MoreIf you've nailed the standard lunge and are ready for something new in a different plane of motion, it's time you add the curtsy lunge to your routine. This lunge variation engages your muscles differently, placing more emphasis on your inner thighs and glutes. Check out this collaboration I did with Well+Good to did into the benefits, form tips and variations of the curtsy lunge.
Read MoreWhen my FABULOUS client Sarah told me she wanted to “lift heavy sh*t” it was music to my ears. We’ve worked together for years and over time we’ve shifted focus of her program to strategically align with evolving priorities including improving body composition and health markers through an integrated approach to exercise, nutrition and recovery; easing the transition into perimenopause; enabling her active lifestyle and love of tennis and scuba; and ensuring her vitality, mobility and agility as she inches toward early retirement. Her love of metrics, data and science have given us the insights necessary to build her ideal program for her unique body which is yielding incredible results. Her continual efforts to learn and try new approaches is inspiring and I’m so grateful she took the time to discuss her journey here.
Read MoreI work with loads of successful, social and often high-stressed professionals who enjoy the occasional (or more than occasional) glass (or two or three or four) of wine (or cocktails) at the end of the day and especially at work events. Sometimes they want to talk about it. Sometimes they don’t. But usually at some point (typically during a plateau) I end up being asked what a reasonable alcohol intake looks like for their fitness and health goals. I don’t tell people what to do. I provide them information and tools and serve as a resource to hold them accountable to what they decide.
Read MoreI love me a good kettlebell swing. It’s a staple for many of my clients and on-demand classes. Swings are great for building total body strength and really hitting those glutes and hamstrings. But it’s a move you definitely need to know what you’re doing to execute safely. Here’s a quick lesson if you need some tips for getting the most out of your swing and protecting your lower back! Don’t have a kettle bell? No worries, a basic dumbbell works great too!
Read MoreIn theory, I love this recent NYT article about “adopting a playful attitude toward working out”. It’s a lovely story about an awkward kid who grew up to be a trainer who helps his clients “get silly” in their workouts (piggyback rides, tag, skipping). The premise is so important. Working out doesn’t have to be awful. It can be fun. And the benefits of returning to more “primal” (or what I’d call “functional”) movement patterns are indisputable. So what’s the catch?
Read MoreIt’s that time of year. Everyone around you is getting sick. Again. Those who were once your family, friends and colleagues are now the enemy. They’ve become evil germ zombies from The Last of Us come to destroy your gains and screw up your perfect rhythm of work and life. Like death and taxes, it happens to us all and despite your best efforts, you may get sick at some point. I am frequently asked whether working out will help or hurt when under the weather. So I’m sharing my go-to references for deciding.
Read MoreThere are SO MANY trackers on the market. And the landscape changes all the time. The ones discussed in this post are the ones I have personally used at various stages of my fitness journey and have seen work for many of my clients. If you have something that is already working for you, GREAT! Don’t fix what ain’t broke. But if you are looking for something to aid you along in your wellness journey maybe one or some of these can help.
Read MoreTraditionally a lot of people jump into the holidays with two feet (see what I did there?!) and the best of intentions for crushing big fitness and wellness goals starting in the new year. Trainers like me used to see spikes in new gym memberships and requests for strict meal plans (instead of spikes in Coronavirus variants and virtual training sessions). If you are struggling with motivation and finding a goal that resonates with you, here are 15 some of my peeps are going for in the coming months that will influence their weekly fitness routines.
Read MoreI’ve written about BFR (“Blood Flow Restriction”) or “Occlusion” Training on and off since 2017. This modality of resistance training has been clinically proven as a way to effectively and safely “hypertrophy” muscle. So when I was recently visiting my AMAZING physical therapist Dr. Mark Bautista, I was surprised to see patients being treated with BFR cuffs. I asked Dr. Mark about it and I learned about the deluge of recent clinical studies that have broadened the usage of BFR to include injury-specific rehab/prehab, sports performance, endurance, strength as well as traditional hypertrophy.
Read MoreYour amazing foot is filled with 26 bones, 30 joints and loads and loads of mechanoreceptors which provide critical information to the brain to help it make all sorts of decisions. Unfortunately, our feet can easily get stiff and immobile by stuffing them in ill-fitting shoes, walking around on weird surfaces or just not using them enough. So in this month’s Couch Talk we get up off the couch and show you some yummy and effective foot mobility and strengthening drills to give your feet (and your brain) some love!
Read MoreWhether you’re a veteran runner with several events under your belt or you’re considering your first 10k, half marathon or full marathon a comprehensive gate and mobility assessment might be a wise investment. I’ve prepared and trained dozens of clients for a variety of events from their first 5k to a Spartan and even an Iron Man and ultra marathon. If you’d like to improve your performance, manage existing injuries, reduce pain and prevent future injuries a run assessment can help.
Read MoreI've been working a lot this year, thanks to the incomparable Marcia Robles, on shoulders. Shoulders are like the Regina George of joints: they're fabulous but they're evil. Meaning they are (or should be) one of our most mobile joints, but due to modern living and desk culture many folks suffer from lack of proper shoulder mobility/stability, impingement and other dysfunctions which make it hard or impossible to strength train. But with the proper warm up and mobility drills, and the clearance of your physical therapist if you have one, this program is a great one for getting those striations popping and to stimulate hypertrophy (muscle growth).
Read MoreA huge thank you to my JJFit On-Demand subscribers who have continued to stream my recorded workouts over the past few months since we retired my live weekly Zoom class. I was in such a grumpy mood today and decided to get off my duff and do this class and I'm so happy that I did! Any donations to this class or any class from my library in the month of May will be given 100% to Planned Parenthood.
Read MoreLooking to get a great bicep pump and stimulate hypertrophy (muscle growth) of your gunz? My good friend Marcia Robles, the Maestro of Arm Programming, created this kick ass series of bicep exercises pre-pandemic and I’m bringing it back to my own routine to prep for tank top season (well, it’s always tank top season n my world, but you know what I mean)l
Read MoreI was trying to come up with a clever Brittney Spears inspired headline like “Wanna strong pull up body? Better jump, b*tch!” but I’ll keep this professional (ish). Here’s the bottom line, if you want to safely and effectively build upper body strength to do solid bodyweight pull ups, try these “jumping” or “eccentric” pull ups where you start from the top and slowly lower yourself down. Note, if you’ve never done these before you will likely be very sore the next day.
Read MoreThis is why I do what I do. I'm super proud of my virtual training clients like Dan, Chris, Alycia, Kimberly and Michael. Together we've overcome a lot of challenges to develop customized effective, safe and challenging wellness programs that evolve based on their needs and includes 1/1 virtual personal training, virtual group fitness and nutrition coaching. Seeing my clients thrive all over the country gets me jumping out of bed each morning. Well... that and coffee.
Read MoreI've really missed training for and experiencing races during the pandemic. And some of my clients and friends have expressed similar feelings. So we're banding together in true 2021 form and planning a VIRTUAL 10K on Sunday, March 14 (eight weeks away in case you want to do a formal eight week training program). Will provide more info as we get closer but for now, comment on the IG thread if you want in and you’ll be included on the list!
Read MoreWhen the editors of POPSUGAR asked me to pick my favorite dumbbell exercise “to get chiseled muscles” I didn’t hesitate. The goblet squat is my go-to and while it’s considered a “legs” exercise it’s really a total body strength move. Learn more about how to goblet squat with perfect form and 8 other dumbbell exercises by watching the slideshow.
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